title: Giant unruptured aneurysm of the vertebral artery presenting with rapidly progressing bulbar compression--case report.
abstract: A 65-year-old male with a giant aneurysm of the vertebral artery, which had caused minimal neurological deficits for a few years, suffered rapid onset of respiratory disturbance followed by coma. Serial neuroimaging studies showed the thrombosed aneurysm continued to enlarge, resulting in increasing compression of the brainstem. Intraoperative observation and histological examination revealed that the aneurysm was composed of totally organized thrombus. Total extirpation of the giant aneurysm resulted in the patient regaining spontaneous respiration and clear consciousness, suggesting that growth of this aneurysm is due to increases in the size and number of the intrathrombotic capillary channels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Tokyo Metropolitan Ohkubo Hospital.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oikawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takizawa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000473:pathology*; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014711:Vertebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery